CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Music Box Films
Audio Film Review: Family Transitions Begin in ‘L’Immensitá’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 20, 2023 - 4:13pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for a 2022 foreign language film distributed in the U.S. by Chicago’s Music Box Films … and featuring Penélope Cruz … entitled “L’Immensitá.” In select theaters beginning May 19th, see local listings.
Audio Film Review: The Spark That Lights Fire! Review of ‘Ema’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 15, 2021 - 1:44pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on the new Pablo Larrain film “Ema,” a Chilean Film distributed in the U.S. by Music Box Films of Chicago. In select theaters, including the Music Box Theatre. beginning August 13th, 2021.
Film Review: No Bogarting! Audio Review of ‘Mama Weed’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 16, 2021 - 3:45pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on the new film “Mama Weed,” a French Film distributed by Music Box Films of Chicago. In select theaters including Music Box Theatre beginning July 16th, 2021, and through Video On Demand July 23rd.
Podtalk: Writer/Producer Alice Austen on ‘Give Me Liberty,’ in Chicago through Sept. 26, 2019
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 19, 2019 - 6:22pmCHICAGO – Moving from writing plays for the stage to writing for film may seem like a natural transition. But at the roots in each of these separate storytelling forms there are different ways of formulating the connection between dialogue and visuals. Alice Austen made this transition when she wrote – with director Kirill Mikhanovsky – the story and screenplay for “Give Me Liberty.”
Appreciation: A Tribute to Chicago’s Music Box Theatre on its 90th Anniversary
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 29, 2019 - 1:33pmCHICAGO – There are movie exhibitors, screening rooms, multiplexes and grindhouses, but there is only one Music Box Theatre, and Chicago is privileged to have it. The movie theater of all movie theaters opened on August 22nd, 1929, and is celebrating its 90th Anniversary all week at the venue, in the Southport Corridor neighborhood.
Film Review: ‘Transit’ is an Absorbing Thriller with a Perplexing Conclusion
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 17, 2019 - 10:57amCHICAGO – What if a new fascism were to sweep the land, and affects Paris, as it did in World War 2? “Transit” postulates on that very theory and creates a paranoid atmosphere that is stunningly real, but brings that emotion to a conclusion that I believe is redundant, and pretends to be deeper than it is.
Podtalk: Director Robert Schwentke of German War Film ‘The Captain’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2018 - 10:57amCHICAGO – Films about the Nazis and the German military during World War II are numerous… except for the ones with a pure German perspective. “The Captain,” directed by Robert Schwentke (“R.I.P.D.”), is based on a true story about a German army deserter who finds a Captain’s uniform, and decides to ride out the waning days of the war with the power of an officer.
Interview: Director Daniela Thomas on ‘Vazante,’ Presented by Music Box Films of Chicago
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2018 - 3:48pmCHICAGO – A vital and obscure piece of Brazilian history is exposed in the new film “Vazante,’ directed by Daniela Thomas, and is the latest film to be distributed by Music Box Films of Chicago. “Vazante” is now playing at the Music Box Theatre through February 8th, 2018. For more information, click here.
Interview: Director Hannes Holm Meets ‘A Man Called Ove’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 28, 2016 - 10:23pmCHICAGO – In 2012, Fredrik Backman released his Swedish novel called “En man som heter Ove.” It was published in English in 2013, and became a best seller. The book that delved into the life of a cranky old man is now a major Swedish movie, distributed in the U.S. by Chicago’s Music Box Films, and directed by Hannes Holm.
Interview: Norman Lear of ‘Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 1, 2016 - 1:41pmCHICAGO – Norman Lear is one of the greatest TV creators of the 20th Century, and beyond. The producer was a titan of 1970s television, with shows like “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude” and “Sanford and Son.” He is the topic of a new film documentary, “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
